Good point on having to lead the pitches. However, I would think that there is not a lot of room for new routes. On the NE Face and the NF Apron you can pretty much climb anywhere. Keeping new protection bolts off of existing routes would be problematic.

That said, there is a gap between the Sacherer Fredericks and the East Buttress. Are there any possibilities there? Clint Cummins photos.

Regarding cleaning the C-P, there should be well publicized first ascent so that everyone who wants to do it can the first season--it will be full of dirt by the next one.

Roger wrote: " Regarding cleaning the Chouinard-Pratt, there should be well publicized first ascent so that everyone who wants to do it can the first season--it will be full of dirt by the next one."

I don't think so. A good cleaning and you'd be good to go. I do agree that Middle has vast potential for now climbs, and the Chouinard Pratt would be one of the first I'd do if I was up there climbing all the time. The first five pitches are classic with a .11c crux if I remember correctly, and the upper pitches would go at mid 5.12 I reckon. There's a pretty good ledge at the top of the fifth to set up a camp with grub and water and you'd just work cleaning the uppper four or five leads for a couple days and you'd have it dicked - a toally classic new 5.12 on crazy good orange granite. I could beat my own ass for not doing it BITD.

My comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. However, when I climbed the Powell-Reed one spring I was amazed at the amount of fresh dirt that had collected on all of the holds. I had never seen any dirt on Stoners' or Paradise Lost or the DNB. The Powell-Reed crack system, the Chouinard-Pratt, and the gully next to the Kor-Beck drain the entire face.

That said, the C-P all free would be a fine route.

Did you ever look at anything between the Sacherer-Fredericks and the East Buttress?

Yeah, the problem with the Chouinared Pratt is that the upper wall drains right down that crack. It might never clean up completely.

That whole section between the Sacherer Fredricks and the East Butress has a lot of potential but someone has to really study the thing, I belive, because there looks like there's so many ways you could go.

You can basically climb anywhere on Middle, as Roger said, so there must be dozens of new routes right there in the open. I think over by the Flakes there must be a ton of new ones to do.

Will Tyre did a veriation to the East Butt. that was only 5.9ish but quite good if I remember correctly. "Hard Man's Variation" or something like that. Coming from So Cal., we were all over the East Butt. because it was supposed to have hard face climbing.

Anyone ever do the Powell Reed. I remember doing the 2nd on Paradice Lost with Tyre and looking arcross and wondering where the Powell Reed actually went.

I climbed the Powell Reed, probably in 1973. I cannot remmeber who I was with. I have a few butt shot pictures. At the time I though that Stoners and Paradise Lost were better routes, but that is only because of the dirt that we found on the holds.

The route is simple: start below the crack system that starts 400 feet up. Climb straight up the original aid route, as freed by Kamps or Higgins (5.10), or move up and left to the other set of small corners, the alternative aid way (both aid routes are shown in Roperís red guide) and the way Sacherer climbed it free (5.9). That is the way that I went. The climbing was good. All the routes on that face are good.

I did the 9 pitch 5.10d to the U-shaped bowl a couple of times in the late '70s. I remember the four pitch extension being called the Gemstone Finish. I can't remember anybody referring to that name since.